# the REAL spanish cedar??



## chasingstanley (Jan 24, 2011)

Just wondering if there is a way of telling if you've got the real mcoy?


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## Snagged (Aug 20, 2010)

Not sure what you mean. You can't tell by looking at it? What makes you think it's NOT authentic?


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## ginomontreal (Sep 1, 2011)

the smell of Spanish cedar is one of the signs, and let me tell you it smell amazing


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## LLave (Oct 21, 2011)

I have heard that many humidors have a cedar essence sprayed on them, which is the smell many of us associate with spanish cedar. To quote BOTL Herg N Turf:

"" Originally Posted by Herf N Turf 
For me at least, there's no question that cedar imparts a note to the tobacco. Beyond that, the real distinction as to the degree of impact is again, one of those "it depends" situations.

You see, the aroma we typically (and mistakenly) ascribe to Spanish cedar DOES NOT occur naturally. It is, in fact, added during manufacture. Yes, they take a sprayer filled with cedar essence and spritz the wood. Depending upon how aggressive Mr Spritzer is, will determine how aromatic the inside of your humidor. In it's natural state, once properly dried, what little aroma Spanish cedar emits is actually very faint and only a very sensitive olfactory bulb can even detect it. In most cases, what we like and dislike about the effect of Spanish cedar upon cigars (other than to hedge against moisture loss and make the presentation pretty) has been faked.

I have several humidors lined in Spanish cedar. Each one imparts a different nuance to the cigars. My largest and favorite humidor happens to be the most aromatic. I have to be careful what cigars I put into it, knowing that the added cedar essence will impact the overall experience. Sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse.

The removal of cellophane really has no effect, other than to slow the process of imparting the cedar essence to the tobacco.

For you, Reza, I would suggest sourcing another humidor and sniffing it first. A Spanish cedar lined humidor (such as those from Waxingmoon) have not been shot with cedar essence and are pretty inert in terms of their impact on the tobacco stored inside them.

Good luck and hope this helps.""


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## The Cigar Nut (Apr 20, 2010)

I have to disagree, I have never heard of Spanish cedar being sprayed with anything, especially cedar being used in humidors. Spanish Cedar is actually not cedar but part of the Mahogany family but gives off the cedar smell we all associate with humidors and maintains that ideal humidity that many other woods do not. The cedar that is used is cut and then lightly sanded to assist the wood in creating a more intense aroma ( if you've ever gone to your grandparents house and sanded the inside of their closets you know exactly what I am talking about ) - the 'top layer' holds oils and moisture, the more of each - the less the smell. If one were to spray Cedar Essence ( an oil usually used with relaxation and meditation for short periods of intense smell ) it would be like spraying a smoked in car with new car smell - after a few days/weeks you will notice the difference. As well the oils would saturate the wood, effectively reducing the humidity controlling aspects.

Aromatic Cedar, American Red Cedar, Eastern Red Cedar, or Juniper can be confused with Spanish Cedar in a few different areas - they look 'similar' ( spanish cedar is much more pale brown with an almost red hue to it, Aromatic Cedar looks more like a Brazilian Cherry or Tiete Redwood, Eastern Red Cedar looks much like a darker tigerwood with a tighter grain pattern and Juniper looks very similar but is full of knots within most cuts of wood ) but all of these woods have a much higher concentration of natural sap than Spanish Cedar. When I got out of the Marine Corps, my gunny told me that carpentry and plants would be a good form of relaxation - ha!

The first 2 humidors I build I ended up getting a 2' x 2' of solid spanish cedar and I noticed that the thinner I cut the wood, the less the aroma. The solid chunk was left in my garage overnight and the next day my entire garage smelt like a humidor. I cut the wood into 1/2" x 6" sections, left about half on the work bench and put the remainder downstairs in my closet ( for storage in a less humidity dynamic environment ) and after a week, the closet just barely started to get the cedar smell. I also noticed that when you sanded the wood, the cedar smell was intensified beyond words. I have actually gotten in the habit of every summer ( spring cleaning time ) I will get 1000 grit sandpaper and do a very - very - very light sanding to the inside of my box ( 200 ct table top humidor purchased not built ) and the cedar smell is just as intense as when I first purchased it.

EDIT: Got a link to Vanderburgh Humidors

Why is Spanish Cedar so Important?

Long story short - some lower end companies may spray their spanish cedar to 'touch up' on inferior materials - but it is not common practice. If you really want to check and see if the interior of your humidor is 'legit' or 'fake' - time to get technical HAHA. Compare and contrast the grain patterns, color, consistency and durability between known good spanish cedar and your humidor. Spanish Cedar is expensive but not outrageous, I highly doubt many companies would skimp on the .5% they have to spend on the correct material. If your able to - get some 1000 grit sandpaper and just barely sand on one of the interior lips or walls ( so you don't mess up the seal ) and give it a nice whiff - strong smell probably Spanish cedar.


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## chasingstanley (Jan 24, 2011)

Thanks for the input, I do think I picked up the real stuff.
During seasoning though I noticed the smell was very strong, not sure if it makes any difference this particular place doesn't have their cedar kiln dried.


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## StogieNinja (Jul 29, 2009)

Odd. I have drawers from Wineador that smell GREAT. I'm certain he's using actual Spanish cedar, so Spanish cedar has to have a smell, right?


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## ginomontreal (Sep 1, 2011)

I have never heard of Spanish dear being treated with an essence. I have a nice piece of Spanish cedar that I bought from a local specialty wood shop and it does not Look to be treated or sprayed with any oils at all and it gives out the nicest smell without wetting it of even sanding, just putting my nose close to it I get that aromatic smell.

It's really hard to believe that some companies would use treated woods for a humidor. I would think that defeats the purpose.


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## Woodworker (Feb 2, 2012)

I fully agree with the cigar nut,There are times when a company may substitute spanish cedar with honduran mahogany. It has a suttle aroma but not to the comparison of the spanish cedar. There are 3 main reasons for the spanish cedar preference, the density of the species allows it to hold the humidity factor, the aroma or "vapor does not effect the tobacco as much as a western red cedar, I believe in my opinion the third being the most important, the aroma helps keep the incubation period of the tobacco worms dormant, once again, just my opinion. Mahogany's have been used for liners however they lack the aroma as well as the ability to hold a constant RH% factor.


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